Often when laptops and smartphones in the market are discounted, rumors arise that a new version is around the corner. In the case of Microsoft's Surface Book, rumors have been circulating for months that the device is due to be upgraded with the Surface Book 2, and now, discounts have started to pop up for last year's edition.

Rounding up the latest rumors about the Surface Book, The Bitbag states that Microsoft itself has started offering discounts for it. This, it states, could be taken as an indication that they want to move their stock before the second edition of the device is launched and goes on to hit the market. The discounts on the Surface Book have brought the price of the version with 256GB onboard storage down to $1,049 from the previous high of $1,299 which was tagged on it when it was launched. Also, the Surface Book is not the only device in the lineup which is receiving a discount, as the Surface Pro 4 with 128GB onboard storage is now available with a reduced price tag of $799.

Even as these prices were being reported, several analysts began to point out that the discounts were indicative of Microsoft bringing out the second generation Surface Book. However, the first device in the lineup, which arrived last year, did have a number of issues pertaining to power management. This led to power being drained when the device was put into sleep mode and Microsoft had to scramble to solve it. Subsequently, even though software updates were pushed out and fixed these issues, many expect the company to wait for better chipsets and then release the Surface Book 2.

There are also indications that Microsoft will bring out the Surface Book 2 with new processors created with the Kaby Lake architecture. However, it has not been released until now and according to rumors is only expected to arrive later in the year around December. Therefore, several analysts think that the Surface Book 2 will not release anytime soon but will only be arriving sometime after December or be pushed to next year.